I'll Always Be There
by supersweet4evr
Summary: Tess was just a girl who wanted to be loved, so how did her life turn from blissful to miserable? And how did she become such a brat? I suck at summaries, the actual story is better than this I hope. Warning: Includes self-harm and eating disorder
1. Butterfly Days

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Author's note: I'm pretty new to the site so I'm basically a confuzzled mess but I'm gonna pretend like I know what I'm doing. Anyway, this is my first fanfic so please don't be too harsh, but constructive criticism would be helpful. Please tell me if I should continue or not, even though I'm probably gonna continue despite what people say. Anyway, this is a story mainly focusing on Tess, because I don't think there are enough stories of her on here, but all the ones that I have seen are really good. I can't help but feel bad for her with her mom and all, so I'm trying to provide a different view of her. Oh, and I'm also making Caitlyn a bit older than Tess in here since we don't know their real ages.

**Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah, I don't own Camp Rock or any of the characters in here, even though I wish I did, whatever.**

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Flashback to Tess as a young girl, about 10 years old:

"There're five!" Tess suddenly exclaimed, startling her best friend Caitlyn.

"What?" Caitlyn asked curiously, a confused expression gracing her face as she stopped walking and studied her friend's careless smile and blue eyes, brilliant from the cheerfulness that sparkled in them. Tess glanced at Caitlyn and pointed at a small patch of wildflowers they had just passed on their carefree stroll.

"There are five," Tess repeated, like Caitlyn had trouble hearing her, not understanding her. "Five butterflies there. See, there are those two pretty orange ones and the three yellow ones."

"Oh," Caitlyn replied contentedly, resuming her walking. She was accustomed to Tess's happily random outbursts after being best friends with her for over three years now. Tess fell in step alongside of Caitlyn and the two friends continued there walk in comfortable silence before stopping in the shade of a tree in a grassy park. The girls sat down and smiled at each other, warm hazel eyes meeting crystal blue.

"I brought you a present," Caitlyn chirped proudly, pulling a cheap, faux gold, heart-shaped locket out from her pocket. The gold paint was chipping a little around the edges, the clasp was loose, and the swirling design across the surface of the locket was a bit faded, but Tess loved it anyway. She smiled gently, flashing her white, so-straight-that-I-never-needed-braces-and-never-will teeth, and opened the locket. A teeny-tiny picture of her and Caitlyn at age eight locked in a friendly embrace, stared back at her. Their young faces radiated lighthearted happiness, and their cheeks were mashed together as if symbolizing how close they were. Innocence shone in their eyes, the kind that came with being young and naïve, but could be shattered easily if any horrors from the outside world touched their lives. They looked so childish, so carefree... Tess sighed slightly and Caitlyn's face fell.

"You don't like it?" she asked quietly, disappointment creeping into her voice. Tess snapped out of her reminiscing and shook her head violently.

"No, no Caitlyn, I love it. Thank you," she assured her, allowing her face to spread into a genuine smile.

"Happy birthday," Caitlyn said, grinning back at her best friend. She lowered her head onto the grass, her long, chocolate-brown hair spreading out around her, and gazed up at the clear blue sky. Tess followed her example, paying little mind to the dirt and grass stains destined to soil her designer clothing. The two girls lay there for the next hour or so, speaking in hushed voices about their hopes and dreams, telling secrets that they could only trust the other with as their giggles and gasps filled the peaceful atmosphere. This was how they had spent their birthdays since three years ago, just the two of them for the entire morning, talking easily with each other. Afterwards, they would go to the birthday girl's house and spend the rest of the day with the girl's family.

"Let's go," Tess announced abruptly, getting to her feet. "I wanna see my mom. She hasn't been home since she left for her tour two months ago."

"It must be hard having your mom be TJ Tyler," Caitlyn said sympathetically, standing up as well. "You have to stay home all alone with your nannies all the time." She was careful not to mention Tess's father, because Tess was still very touchy about him. He had left Tess and Tess's mom a long time ago because Tess's mom had been sleeping with another man. He and Tess had been very close, but since he had left he had not contacted her once. A short while ago, Tess discovered he had remarried and had a new daughter. And just like that, daddy's little princess had been thrown aside and replaced. She had been hurt by that more than she had ever let on.

"I don't need your pity," Tess growled harshly, her eyes hardening. Caitlyn dropped her gaze and Tess could tell that she had hurt her friend.

"I'm sorry," she whispered quickly. "It's just..."

"I know, it's ok," Caitlyn assured her, knowing how much Tess hated to be weak, to let other people know she was vulnerable. She had gone through many traumatizing experiences, more than she had ever shared with Caitlyn, and after each one she put up another piece of the barrier that shielded her from other people, other people who as soon as she grew to trust them and let them into her heart would only break it and leave her empty and broken. She would only let down her barrier for a few people, one of those being Caitlyn, her best friend in the whole world.

The girls entered Tess's extravagant mansion still chattering away. Caitlyn had previously always stiffened with envy when coming to Tess's house, which put her own modest, two-story house to shame with its expensive vases, gleaming chandeliers, stunning marble statues, dazzling stained-glass windows, sculpted gardens, and eye-catching ceiling mural. Diamonds practically dripped off the painted walls the house, which were already peppered with gold-framed paintings and delicate figurines, so who could blame Caitlyn for the unwanted jealously that occasionally brushed over her. However, she had grown so accustomed to spending time with Tess and visiting her house that it had almost become like a second home to her. Tess also loved it when Caitlyn came over; it was almost like having a sister to share her house with. Caitlyn was the only person in the world who could come close to filling the vacant space left in Tess, the emptiness that resulted from never being able to see her mother and being deprived of the special bond that only a daughter and mother can have. Even with her luxurious mansion and celebrity status, Caitlyn pitied the lonely, hollow girl that was Tess Tyler, who never was able to have a healthy childhood like Caitlyn had.

"Mom?" Tess called. "Mom, I'm home!" Tess's voice echoed slightly, ringing throughout the entire house, but receiving no reply. "Mom, where are you?" No answer was heard, not even one from one of her various nannies. Tess had given them all the day off, figuring that it would be best if she, Caitlyn, and her mother would be allowed some private time.

"Don't worry Tess, she's probably just running a little late," Caitlyn said soothingly to her friend, trying to push away the clouds of despair and hurt already fogging up her sapphire orbs.

"Yeah, she probably is," Tess replied uncertainly, but quickly pushed away her doubts. Caitlyn had told her that her mom was coming, so she was coming. Tess trusted Caitlyn and she trusted her mom. Sure, her mother had missed a few events in her life before, but never something big, never anything important. And especially never her birthday.

"Come on Tess, let's play a game to pass the time while we're waiting for your mother," Caitlyn pressed, trying to keep Tess preoccupied. Tess reluctantly agreed, so she and Caitlyn settled down in her sunroom to play a quick game of cards.

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The house was dark and quiet. The only light and sounds came from a movie blaring on a plasma-screen television set in an otherwise dark sunroom, and the soft breaths of the two sleeping girls in front of it. Tess awoke with a start and, after scanning the dim room, shook Caitlyn awake.

"Is it morning?" Caitlyn asked groggily, rubbing her eyes and sitting up. Tess walked towards the light switch and snapped on the lights before glancing at the clock. It was 11:56. The girls stared at each other, an awkward silence settling over them.

"She's not coming," Tess whispered in anguish, her gaze dropping to the carpeted floor. "She's not coming! My mom missed my tenth birthday!" She crumpled to the floor, ragged breaths wracking her entire body as Caitlyn scrambled over to her friend. "I don't understand. She promised she'd be here, she promised! She said that I was more important to her than her career, she said that would never miss my birthday! She said she loved me!" Stinging tears brimmed in her eyes, threatening to spill and expose her weakness to the world, share with everybody that Tess Tyler was not the flawless goddess she appeared to be, but a regular, common person, imperfections and all. But she let them fall anyway. The droplets splattered onto the floor below, splitting into millions of different pieces, resembling her shattered heart. She didn't care about being strong anymore, didn't bother putting up her brave front, because who really gives a damn about being strong when their mom has just proved that her job comes before her child? The tears fell faster and harder, streaming down her face in salty rivers, and uncontrollable sobs shook her body. She pulled her knees to her chin, gathering her legs into her arms and rocking back and forth silently, trying to push away the unbearable pain bombarding her.

Caitlyn looked at her broken friend helplessly, her mind going numb. She didn't know what to do seeing as Tess had never cried in front of her before. Yes, Tess's mother had been absent for many of Tess's activities before and Tess of course had been hurt, but she had never cried. Tess Tyler never had let tears fall from her perfect eyes, never allowed anybody to see that she was insecure and weak. Caitlyn sunk down to her knees and, not knowing what else to do, wrapped her arms around Tess's frail body. Tess melted into the comforting embrace and buried her head beneath Caitlyn's chin, her body heaving from her unending sobs.

"She promised- she said I was more important- she said- she said she loved me- she- she promised!" Tess stammered weakly. "Why can't she love me? Why am I- why am I not good enough for her? Why am I so ugly, what did I do wrong? Caitlyn- please Caitlyn, please- please make it stop!" Tess's cracking, heartbroken voice nearly brought Caitlyn to tears herself. "Why- why am I so horrible? What did I do? Make the pain stop, please!"

"Tess, no, you're beautiful," Caitlyn pleaded, rubbing Tess's back. "You're sweet, you're kind, you're unselfish, you're smart, you're pretty, you're a wonderful person, please don't cry Tess, you're amazing."

"No, no I'm not," Tess cried, shaking her head. "If I was, my mom would love me, she would freaking love me! But she doesn't, I'm not good enough for her, I was never good enough for her, why am I not ok as I am? Why am I so unlovable? Why am I so insignificant that she would miss my birthday?!" Caitlyn said nothing; she only tightened her arms around Tess, trying to let actions do the comforting for her. If she could do anything to relieve her friend from the suffering she was going through, anything at all, she would, but Tess seemed inconsolable. It broke Caitlyn's heart to see her in so much pain. Caitlyn had always been her protector, the person that would stand up for her no matter what, someone who could always ease her pain. But here she was, facing a situation where no amount of kind words would bandage Tess's broken heart, where not all the comfort in the world would heal Tess's internal wounds. Caitlyn sighed and pulled Tess closer.

A number of hours later, Tess had calmed down enough to control her tears and was now simply lying against Caitlyn, breathing normally. The clock now read 3:36, but Caitlyn and Tess remained wide awake, comfortable with each other's presence.

"You ok?" Caitlyn inquired softly, stroking Tess's beautiful, flowing blonde hair that was currently in a tangled mess. Tess looked up at Caitlyn, her eyes painfully red and swollen from her hours of crying. However, they no longer were a vortex of hurt and rejection, no longer exuded helplessness and pain. Looking up towards Caitlyn, they only shimmered with quiet gratitude, dependence, and the tiniest bit of fortitude that Caitlyn could take just a little credit for.

"I think so," she whispered, her voice raspy. Caitlyn nodded and they resumed their silence until Tess spoke up again.

"Thank you," she sighed, once again staring into Caitlyn's eyes. Caitlyn looked back at her, a bit confused.

"For what?" she questioned curiously.

"You know... just for being there," Tess murmured. A quiet peacefulness descended upon them once again.

"I don't know what I'd do without you," Tess stated, seriously, sincerely, with the kind of honest, unconditional love and trust that only two best friends can share.

"You just can't keep quiet for two seconds, can you?" Caitlyn teased gently before Tess's words sank in. "Oh... well... right back atcha kiddo."

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**Author's note: Soooooo how was it? I know Tess seems way too nice here, but that's just because she's a lot younger and her mom hasn't hurt her too much before, so she hasn't become a big jerk that always is trying to be the star yet. Please review!!**


	2. Unforgivable

**Author's Note: So nobody has reviewed yet, but I'm hoping that's just because they haven't read this story yet and not because they read it and just decided to not review. Oh well, here's another chapter!**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah I don't own Camp Rock or it's characters, I thought I already went over this, repeating it just makes me more sad.**

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"Come on Tess, you can't break down. It was your time to shine and you blew it. You can't cry about that, it was your own fault, so deal with it respectably." But it was no use. No matter how many times Tess told herself that it was nothing to cry over, she could not will the burning liquid in her eyes back into her head. Surrendering to her tears, she curled up on the floor and sobbed, not because she had messed up Final Jam, not because she had lost, not because she had been a complete idiotic jerk and lost all her friends, not because she had humiliated herself in front of everybody. But because she had screwed up in front of one person, the one person whose opinion mattered the most, the one person who had never shown up for any of her performances except for this one. And she blew it.

**Somewhere else backstage:**

"You guys were all great," Shane Grey smiled as he, Nate, and Jason joined Mitchie, Caitlyn, and Ella as they congratulated Peggy after the show.

"Thanks," the girls responded humbly, very pleased with the turn of events. Peggy had won Final Jam, Mitchie and Caitlyn had gotten to perform after all, and Tess had messed up, which hopefully had rewired her brain so that she realized the universe did not revolve around her.

"Tonight was amazing," Mitchie sighed happily, voicing what they were all thinking. "Everybody finally got what they wanted," she added, smiling up at Shane.

"Well, not everybody," Peggy muttered as Tess approached them. Her face was heavily covered in make-up, but it was obvious that she had just finished a long crying session. Her blue eyes held remorse, sorrow, even a bit of shame which was a surprise towards everybody. They stiffened as Tess neared.

"Um, hey guys," Tess mumbled uncertainly.

"Hi!" Jason responded cheerfully, but everybody elbowed him and he shut up. The group turned to face Tess, glowering at her coldly.

"What do you want?" Peggy snapped harshly. Tess lowered her eyes slightly, wondering if she should continue with this conversation that obviously no one else wanted to pursue. But it was important that she cleared the air between them, so she pressed on.

"I just wanted to tell you guys that uh..." Tess swallowed hesitantly. "You guys were really good. And you deserved to win Peggy." The group nodded unresponsively, so she continued. "And I'm really sorry... for everything."

"Sorry?" Mitchie growled, an anger like she had never felt before powering her tirade. "You act like a complete bitch all summer, and you expect 'sorry' to fix it? New flash Tess, maybe you've never apologized to anybody before in your life, but just because you're doing it now doesn't mean we're going to forgive you."

"I didn't mean to-" Tess started, but was interrupted by Shane.

"Save it for somebody who cares Tess. All summer you've just been manipulating people, strutting around here like you own the place. You boss everybody around, pretend like you rule the world, lie about Mitchie and Caitlyn stealing your stupid bracelet, reveal Mitchie's secret in the cruelest way possible, and basically act like the most conceited, arrogant, jerky, ignorant bitch ever, and you expect us to just leave that all behind and get all friendly with you?"

"We don't care about you anymore," Caitlyn continued, feeding off the hate the others emitted through their venomous words. "Nobody cares about you anymore, don't you get it? You had your chance, you blew it, and now everybody hates you. We don't care that you messed up, so don't expect any sympathy. Just leave us alone."

Tess stared at them, tears slowly leaking from her eyes. Not even one friendly face stared back. She suddenly realized the magnitude of this situation- she had gone too far, done too much to emerge without a scratch. The rest of the campers had quieted too to listen to the heated conversation, leaving the room eerily quiet. Tess, immediately feeling very self-conscious, spun around and dashed off, tears now pouring down her face. She collapsed in a corner far away, sobbing like a person who had just lost something very important, something she could never get back.

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"Stop crying Tess!" TJ Tyler screamed, smacking Tess's cheek viciously. "It's your fault you messed up; you have no one to blame but yourself! How could you do this? I show up to your little performance and what do you do in return? Embarrass me in front of everybody! Are you even listening? Look at me!" TJ grabbed her daughter's hair and yanked, forcing Tess's tear-stained eyes to meet her mother's.

"And what do you do after you mess up? You run offstage like a coward, instead of facing your stupid mistake! I raised you better than this!"

_You didn't raise me at all,_ Tess thought, but remained quiet.

"I was dumb to believe that you could ever do anything right! Why did I even come here in the first place? You sicken me!"

"Please mom, I didn't mean to..."

"Oh don't give me that crap! You blew it Tess, you failed, as usual. What do you have to say for yourself?" Tess averted her eyes, trying to look somewhere else, anywhere else than her mother's disappointed, hate-filled eyes.

"Well?" TJ Tyler yelled, but Tess was still silent. "AN. SWER. ME." she shrieked, annunciating each syllable with a slap to Tess's face, leaving it very red.

"Mom please, I'm so sorry..."

"Sorry doesn't cut it Tess! I would rather disown you than have a daughter who can't do anything correctly!" Each word was like a knife blade, shredding apart her already damaged heart.

"I'm sorry mom! I didn't-"

"I am so disappointed in you!" TJ Tyler screamed, and stalked out of the room. Tess crumpled in a heap onto the floor, sobbing her eyes out.

"No mom, please, don't do this to me, please!" Tess whimpered desperately. But her mother was gone, just like everybody else. No one cared about her anymore.

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Author's Note: Please review!!


	3. She'll Never Learn

**Author's Note: Thank you so much to ZashleyTroypayislove, writerchick786, and Golden-Mist for reading and leaving such nice reviews! Anyways, here goes another chapter, and be sure to read my note at the bottom!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, basically. That makes me sad.**

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"Well that wasn't very nice," Jason huffed after his friends had finished telling Tess off. They glared at him in disgust, shaking their heads slowly.

"Maybe Jason's right," Caitlyn voiced timidly, her old best friend instincts kicking in again slightly. "We _were_ pretty hard on her."

"She deserved it," Shane muttered grudgingly, but he didn't seem quite sure of himself anymore. Mitchie, Ella, Peggy, and Nate nodded in agreement, but only half-heartedly.

"Maybe... maybe we should you know, check to see if she's ok?" Caitlyn suggested hesitantly, but it came out more as a question. Her friends' guilty consciences thanked her, but all the emotion they dared to show as they agreed was reluctance. The group walked towards the direction where Tess had ran off to, but stopped and quickly hid behind a set of props when they heard an angry voice.

"And what do you do after you mess up? You run offstage like a coward, instead of facing your stupid mistake! I raised you better than this!" It sounded a lot like TJ Tyler.

"I was dumb to believe that you could ever do anything right!" she continued furiously. Why did I even come here in the first place? You sicken me!"

"Please mom, I didn't mean to..." Tess's voice whispered, cracking with pain.

"Oh don't give me that crap! You blew it Tess, you failed, as usual. What do you have to say for yourself?" It was silent as TJ Tyler waited impatiently for an answer.

"Well?" she yelled, but Tess still did not reply. "AN. SWER. ME." she screamed, slapping Tess's cheek with each syllable. Shane, Nate, Jason, Mitchie, Caitlyn, Ella, and Peggy winced after each sharp crack. It sounded really painful.

"Mom please, I'm so sorry..." Tess sobbed, but was cut off by her mother.

"Sorry doesn't cut it Tess!" The group hidden behind the props cringed at the similarity of the hateful words they had hurled at Tess and the stinging remarks her mother was throwing at her now. "I would rather disown you than have a daughter who can't do anything correctly!"

"I'm sorry mom! I didn't-" Tess feebly tried again.

"I am so disappointed in you!" TJ Tyler screamed, and stormed out of the room, narrowly missing the kids huddled behind the props. Tess fell in a heap onto the floor, sobbing as if her heart had been ripped apart.

"No mom, please, don't do this to me, please!" Tess whimpered desperately. The hidden group stood awkwardly, trying to decide what to do. None of them had ever seemed Tess cry before. Well, one of them had, but that had been so long ago, back when they were friends... but to the rest it was strange, shocking, and virtually impossible, and for what reason? Simply because she was _the_ Tess Tyler.

"Are you ok?" Jason blurted out loudly, causing everybody to glare at him for revealing their presence. Mitchie, Shane, Jason, Peggy, and Ella stood and quickly crept away, but Caitlyn and Nate stayed, not knowing what was really compelling them to be this idiotic. Caitlyn thought of it as a past impulse from when they were still friends, and Nate... well to Nate it was something even he could not comprehend. All they knew was that they were simply pressing themselves further out of Tess's vision, hoping she had not heard him. This was, of course, nothing more than wishful thinking.

"Who- whose there?" Tess asked, trying and failing to sound like she had not been crying. The pair remained quiet, hoping she would just give up her search, but the sound of her shoes clicking on the ground was clearly perceptible as she stood up and started walking towards the props.

"AHHHHHH!!" the kids screamed, including Tess, as she abruptly stuck her head over the cardboard prop they were scrunched behind. Caitlyn and Nate looked like little kids with their hands caught in a cookie jar.

"W-what are you doing here?" Tess asked irritably, trying to regain her composure and wiping away the tears on her face.

"We um, well uh, we," Caitlyn stammered, trying to buy time to think of a good excuse as to why they were hunched in cramped space behind a cardboard cutout. Tess's bloodshot eyes suddenly widened as realization hit her.

"You were eavesdropping weren't you?" she accused in shock, her cheeks suddenly turning a dark pink from embarrassment and anger. Her voice quickly rose with fury. "How much did you hear?"

"Not much..." Nate said unconvincingly as Tess's glare bore into him. "Well ok, maybe a little more than you would have liked us to hear... ok a lot, are you satisfied now?" Tess simply stared at them in disbelief.

"Tess, look, we didn't mean to," Caitlyn started, but Tess was still angry.

"You just had to listen to my mom yelling at me didn't you? What did you plan to do with the stuff you heard, record it and put it on the Internet? Blackmail me with it? I can't believe you guys, didn't you already get even with me when you told me off earlier?" Tess yelled.

"Tess, wait, you don't understand."

"Oh, I understand plenty," she snapped, her eyes glowing dangerously and her anger overpowering her rationality. "You were just looking for more revenge, like the stupid, immature, evil, bratty jerks you are! I hate you!" Nate and Caitlyn, who were at one point ready to apologize, now were far from it. They glared at Tess, not so much as for insulting them than for her unjustly accusing them when they had only come over to help.

"You know what Tess, we originally came over here to help, but we can see now that you're just fine since you're back to your old self. And call us what you want, but we're better people than you'll ever be," Caitlyn spat at her maliciously. "And at least we've got something that you could never even dream of having."

"Oh yeah?" Tess questioned sarcastically. "And what might that be?"

"People who actually care about us. We have _friends_, and a family that pays attention to us more than their jobs. Which is a lot more than we could ever say for you."

And as Tess glared their retreating backs, possibly the backs of the only people that might have cared about her if she hadn't driven them away, she couldn't push away the niggling feeling in the back of her mind that they were right.

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**Author's Note: Ok, I know that writerchick786 wanted this to be a Tess/someone story, and that's coming up so don't fret, but I didn't think it would be very Tess-like if she didn't yell at them for listening in, so sorry about another chapter dedicated to Tess being mean, but she's only doing it cuz she's been hurt so much and she's suspicious, it'll all work out eventually. Oh, and I'm going to Myrtle Beach (WHOOT!!) for a dance competition Wednesday morning... like at 4:30 am tomorrow morning (bleh) and won't be back until Tuesday morning, so don't expect any updates, sorry! I'll see if I can squeeze in another chapter today, but other than that I have to wait until Tuesday to write again :(. Review!!**


	4. New Hope

**Author's Note: Well, here it is, the last chapter I'm going to write until Tuesday. It's not too short (I think) so I hope it's enough to make up for my absence, sorry! Again thanks to writerchick786 and also SweetSmiles for reviewing, cuz reviews make me happy! This chapter is kinda angsty, but the next one is probably gonna have more lovey-dovey stuff.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Bleh.**

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She couldn't take it anymore, this world, the people in it, her life, anything. Tess stared into the mirror beside her bed with deep contempt, seeing nothing but a bloated, selfish, unloved, ugly person. Somebody with so much pain on the inside that it had to be constantly transferred to the outside before it overflowed. Tess slowly removed a small razor from inside her bag and rolled up her sleeve, revealing scars, hundreds of scars, ones that would fade with time but would never be completely gone. She brought the blade to her arm, pressing down gently. Her fragile skin only resisted for a second before it split and allowed a trickle of warm blood to escape. Tess started at the gooey crimson substance that was flowing down her arm, releasing her pent-up feelings, and uncertainly contemplated cutting herself again. She wasn't worried about the pain- no, the pain brought relief, wonderful relief as it numbed the hurt her heart felt and instead made her concentrate on her throbbing wounds. What she hated how the blood looked, hated how it was so ugly, so filthy, so... so imperfect. Like her.

_I can't get any uglier than I am right now,_ Tess thought, and pressed the blade down harder, emitting a loud gasp at the new wave of pain. But she loved it, loved cutting herself, loved being able to escape from the outside world and into her own, even if it was made up of blood and razors. She continued for who knows how long, only stopping when she glanced at her reflection again and noticed another flaw, another one of her characteristics that kept her from perfection- her body. She was so fat, so blown up... not anything like the skinny, gorgeous models in the glossy magazines she obsessed over. Tess cleaned up the bloody mess she had left and trudged to the bathroom, trying to ignore the loud waves of post-jam excitement and fun that rushed to her ears as soon as she set foot outside of the seclusion of her cabin.

Twenty minutes later, Tess was on her way back from bathroom and fighting nausea as she walked back towards her cabin. She was hungry and dizzy, but how could she face all the people in the mess hall? Taking another look into her mirror, she was repulsed by what she saw... sunken blue eyes, translucent, bloody skin, and a body that was fatter than ever. She shook her head, finally deciding to end it all. There was no way she could keep going on like this, living her worthless, pathetic life like nothing was wrong.

_But what about all you have to live for, _a small voice in her mind argued. Tess let out a bitter laugh, devoid of any humor. There was nothing to live for. Nobody cared about her. Nobody would care if she threw herself in the lake and never resurfaced.

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Tess felt like a robot, walking straight out into the lake without any control over herself whatsoever. The water was quite chilly despite the balmy evening, first swirling around her ankles, then her knees, then her chest, then her chin... she felt light, weightless under the water and closed her eyes, knowing there was no turning back now. She was too weak to fight her way back to shore, and nobody would bother rescuing her, even if they did see her. She was finally going to die...

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"Tess? Tess, wake up! Please Tess, don't do this to me!" Tess heard a voice, but it was far away, much too far to decipher who it was.

_Dang it, I'm not dead,_ she realized ungratefully. _My mother was right, I can't even commit suicide without failing. But wait, if I'm not dead, somebody had to have saved me... which means..._ Renewed hope bubbled up inside of her, but she was not yet strong enough to move or even open her eyes to see who her savior was.

"Tess, come on, you're strong, you can do it. Just move, say something, anything! Just show me you're alive, please!" _I'm trying my best..._

"Tess, oh please Tess, don't be dead, please, you deserve better than this!" _Are you sure about that?_

"Tess, please wake up!" The person shook her violently, desperately. _That's not exactly the gentlest way to rouse a girl that almost drowned... wait, what's he doing know?_ Tess could feel the stranger's warm breath on her lips. _Wait, oh my gosh, he's doing CPR or whatever it's called. Oh no, he's getting closer, oh my gosh. _Tess suddenly felt warm lips on top of her own, concentrating on restoring her lungs with air, but she could only focus on the fact that they were practically kissing. And even though she didn't know who the mystery person was, she knew it was the most right thing she had felt in a long time.

"Tess, come on, you can make it through this," the person pleaded, grabbing her hand in his own. It sent tingles straight up her arm, rebooting her energy. "Tess, please, get up!"

"I'm up, I'm up, don't have a cow," Tess breathed weakly, sitting up slowly and coughing out half the lake. She allowed her eyes to flutter open and noticed that she was on the dock, sitting next to... _them._ One of them was Caitlyn, but there was the boy, the one who had been talking to her... he was the back-up singer and guitarist for the amazing band Connect 3, but what was his name again? Noah? Nick?

"Nate, right?" she asked as she stared into his deep brown eyes. He nodded and stared at her in concern. _Wow, he's really cute._

"Tess, why were you trying to drown yourself?" he asked, poorly hidden disgust dripping in his voice. Tess suddenly remembered what had happened earlier and felt anger overtaking her yet again.

"Why did you come?" she asked coldly.

"Because you would have died if I didn't!" he responded, surprised at the lack of gratefulness.

"Don't you think that if I were trying to drown myself, I wouldn't have wanted anybody to save me?" she snapped, half-lying. "Just leave me alone!"

"Oh brother, there she goes again," Caitlyn muttered, and walked away. Nate, however, wasn't finished yet.

"I was trying to save you from making a stupid decision!" Nate yelled. "Suicide is the dumbest possible way to die! And what's with these scars?" he asked, grabbing her arm and showing her the cuts. "And when did you get so skinny? Tell me!"

"I-I," Tess stammered, not quite willing to reveal the shameful truth. "I fell and scraped myself when I was walking back towards my cabin. And I'm on a diet."

"Since when, after Final Jam?" he scoffed angrily. "And that falling stuff is crap too, and you know it. Stop lying! Tell me the truth!"

"Don't you get it Nate, I don't want to live anymore, I don't want to carry on my painful, valueless life and hide how much I've been hurt by putting up a cold-hearted, bitchy front for everybody!" Tess screamed, tears pouring from her eyes. "I can't stand living anymore; it's too big of a burden because of people like you and your friends who just yell at me because I'm so terrible!" She began hitting him, pounding her fists against his chest. Nate's eyes suddenly held a newfound understanding and sympathy, and he didn't fight back against her rain of punches or even back away. He just grabbed her wrists when he had had enough and held them firmly as she struggled and panted. Tess eventually gave up and folded over crying on the dock.

"Are you finished now?" he asked softly, gently gathering her tiny, wasted-away frame in his strong arms. Tess nodded and curled up in his comforting presence; it just felt so warm, so honest, so right... And Nate, well, Nate didn't say a word. He just sat there quietly on sunbathed the dock, holding Tess tightly and letting her cry.

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Author's Note: So how was it? I personally thought it was a pretty good chapter, but my opinion means nothing! Review, review, review!!


	5. Love?

**Author's note: So I'm back from my national dance competition in Myrtle Beach and I'm back to writing! For all of you who just wanna read the story, you can skip the rest of this note, but I'm just gonna talk a little about my trip. It was so nice and fun there even though it was super hot and there were thunder storms every night as a side effect from Hurricane Bertha. One of my routines won 1st overall out of every single performance there, so we were named the grand champions and got this really big fancy crystal cup, and that was pretty cool. Then to celebrate we went to the hotel pool and all the parents dressed up in our costumes and jumped in, it was really hilarious, and they also got to drink champagne out of the crystal cup. Oh, and I also got to see the "Le Grande Cirque" while I was there, it's an awesome circus you all need to see if you ever go to Myrtle Beach, and it only cost like 10-15 per person, but then again, that was with the dance competition discount... anyways on with the story!**

**Disclaimer: Yeah, I don't own anything, got a problem with that?**

* * *

It was almost midnight. Most people normal had gone back to their cabins to get some rest for their last day at Camp Rock with their parents. Too bad Nate and Tess weren't normal people. But then again, maybe it was better that way. At least some people were there to appreciate the beauty of the lake at night.

Tess's eyes had finally dried in the cool night breeze, and she and Nate sat side by side on the dock, their feet dangling above the water. But they weren't touching anymore. Tess was too embarrassed about what had happened earlier to allow him to get closer to her.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Nate asked calmly, breaking the serene silence. Tess lifted her head slowly to look at him. He was gazing across the lake, a distant look in his eyes. She thought he was just as beautiful as the nighttime scenery.

"Yeah, it kind of is," Tess agreed, studying their surroundings. The moon was full and shone brightly, casting a shimmering silver glow that illuminated the dark trees and spilled across the rippling lake. Crickets chirped occasionally, and fireflies floated everywhere, as numerous as the millions of twinkling stars scattered across the sky, flashing their bright tails to each other. She smiled as one landed on her hand and lit up, before flying away from her again. Just like everyone else.

"Nate?"

"Yes?" he acknowledged, looking Tess directly in the eyes. She shivered slightly, and it wasn't from the night air.

"Do you hate me?" Nate was taken aback by her bluntness.

"What?"

"I asked you if you hate me. Yes or no?" Tess repeated.

"Tess..."

"Yes. Or. No."

"No, Tess, why would you think that?"

"Does everybody else hate me?"

"Tess this is getting ridiculous," Nate stated, trying to buy time.

"Nate, answer the question," Tess demanded impatiently.

"No Tess, they don't hate you," Nate replied, rather unconvincingly.

"Are you lying to me?"

"No..."

"Stop it! I don't care what the answer is, I just want the truth."

"Uh... yeah, I think they kind of do Tess," Nate admitted quietly. Tess nodded, keeping her stony face, but Nate saw a flicker of emotion flash through her eyes. Was it hurt? Disappointment? Regret? Abandonment? Loneliness? All of the above? Yep, probably the last one.

"I'm sorry Tess," Nate said remorsefully, trying to comfort her.

"I never wanted to turn out like this. And now that I have, everybody hates me."

"What?" Nate asked, confused. "What do you mean you never wanted to turn out like this?"

"Come on Nate." Tess laughed sourly. "You don't think I was born a bitch, do you?" Nate flinched at her bitter tone and obvious self-resentment. "You know it's true, don't try to deny it. You probably think so too." Nate opened his mouth to object, but Tess cut him off. "And don't try lying again, because it won't work."

"So how did you become like... this?" It came out more offensive than Nate had meant, but Tess didn't seem to care.

"I don't really know," Tess answered honestly. "I just remember that when I was younger, my mom missed a lot of my life. But it was never anything big, mostly choir concerts, dance recitals, that kind of stuff. But the one thing she never missed my birthday. She said I was too important of a person to her for her to miss the beginning of another year of my life. And then on my tenth birthday..." Tess gave a small, pitiful sigh. "She didn't show up." She paused for a second, forcing her tears to stay in her eyes. "She always came back from her concerts and tours to lavish me with expensive presents and spend money on me on my birthdays. But I never really cared about that stuff, you know? All that really mattered was that she came to see me; she could have come with no presents at all and we could have spent the day at home watching TV and I would have been happy. But she didn't. And that's the day I found out that her career had become more important than me."

"I thought that I wasn't good enough for her, and that's why she didn't come. So I tried harder. I somehow made myself believe that if I became better, I would finally become good enough for her. And with that pathetic, desperate hope, I began pushing myself. Everyday I would practice singing for six hours, dancing for eight, and spend the rest of my time doing stuff that would get me noticed. I started getting a bunch of solos in choir and dance, and then I developed my own clothing line, Fan-Tess-tic Fashions. But my mother still wouldn't give me a second glance. That's when I began thinking I was too fat."

"I started exercising daily, first one hour a day, then two hours, then four hours, then practically the entire day. I still wasn't getting results fast enough, so I started bingeing. That began as only once a day too, but soon I was doing it after every meal, and then to the point where every single time food entered my mouth, I would discard it. But I still didn't get noticed."

"I became desperate, and stopped caring about anything and anybody besides my mother and how I could become good enough to be loved by her. I didn't care when my friends stopped hanging out with me, or when I hurt other people, or when everybody started looking at me with disgust and hatred in their eyes, or even when I completely lost myself in my desire to improve. I knew something must have been wrong with me for me to be so unlovable. So I decided to ask her about it."

"She was at an autograph signing. I walked up to her and asked if I could talk to her, but she only kept talking with some teenage girl in front of her about her new Grammy-winning album. I asked her again, louder this time, but she still ignored me. Then I yelled at her, and everybody grew silent, staring at us, and then the girl in front of her asked her who I was. And then..." Tess's voice cracked painfully, and a single tear ran down her cheek. "And then she said that she didn't know me. She turned to face me, and told me that I must have confused her with somebody else, and that she would appreciate it if I would leave and stop disturbing her and her fans." Tess choked back a sob. "Right after that, I started cutting myself. But even then, I couldn't accept the fact that I would never be good enough for her. I kept trying to better myself, but I guess in the process, I only got others to hate me for it."

"Oh Tess, that's horrible," Nate sighed. "I'm sorry. Really, I am."

"I deserve it, I guess," Tess admitted. "I mean, even with my crappy mom, I shouldn't have turned out as awful as this. I just wish I could take it all back."

"It's never too late to change," Nate told her. "And you didn't deserve this, you really didn't. Nobody does. Everybody deserves to be loved."

"Everybody except me," Tess whispered sadly.

"Tess..."

"It's true. I'm a terrible person, and I don't deserve to have people that care about me."

"Stop fucking beating yourself up about this!" Nate snapped angrily, and Tess jumped. "None of this is your fault, all the blame should be placed on your mom, not you! You wouldn't have turned out like this if you had a better mother! And your father should have been there to support you too and-"

"Don't bring my father into this," Tess said coldly. "He was the asshole who left me alone with my horrible excuse of a mother. I never want to hear about or see him again."

"Oh," Nate said awkwardly, looking away. "Look Tess, I..."

"Save it," Tess snapped. "Nobody gives a damn about me, and I can accept that."

"Stop it!" Nate growled, his voice rising again. "I can name at least one person who cares a hell of a lot about you."

"Oh really?" Tess challenged. "Who?" Nate raised his eyebrows at her before leaning in and planting a deep kiss on her lips. He pulled away quickly and smirked at her shocked expression.

"Me."

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**Please Review!!**


	6. Water and lockets

**Author's Note: Sorry I haven't updated in so long, I have just been really busy, plus I have a writer's block. Anyway, to reward you for being so patient, I've given you two chapters this time to read. Thanks to everybody who left such nice reviews, it means a lot :).**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything, which is seriously making me sad.**

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Tess stared at Nate in amazement and surprise after his lips left hers.

"You just- you just k-kissed me," she stuttered, looking at him in confusion.

"Oh really, I did? No way!" he exclaimed sarcastically, mimicking her astounded look. Tess blushed furiously and turned away from his mocking, arrogant look, fighting her urge to push him into the lake. But that urge grew harder and harder to suppress every time she snuck a glance at his face, which continued to hold that infuriating smirk of his.

"Aw look, big tough Tess is blushing," he teased, causing her temper to flare up once more. "You like me, you like me..."

"In your dreams," she interrupted, blushing even harder.

"Yeah, you're right, you don't like me..." Nate said, and Tess faced him in surprise. "You LOVE me. Come on Tess, admit it, you're completely head over heels for me."

"Nathanial Christopher Black," Tess started, smiling in satisfaction when Nate grimaced at his full name, "if you don't stop saying that right now, I'll..."

"You'll do what?" Nate was testing her and Tess knew it.

"I'll do this." And with that, she shoved him off the dock, making him plummet with a huge splash into the calm lake. After a few seconds he came up again, spluttering in anger and glaring at her.

"I hate you," he said in annoyance, just kidding around more than anything else. Tess, however, didn't take it that way.

"You hate me?" she asked quietly, and looked down towards the rough wooden boards beneath her.

"Oh shoot! No Tess, I didn't mean it like that, really, I wasn't thinking," Nate pleaded apologetically. "Please, don't be upset, I mean... that's just usually what I say when somebody pushes me into a freezing lake..." Tess looked over at him again, a playful smile now dancing on her lips.

"I guess I was being a little overdramatic... I mean it was my fault for pushing you in," she admitted. "Here, let me help you back up." She gave him her hand to lift him up with, but when Nate grabbed it, all he did was smile mischievously and yank. Tess shrieked and plunged into the lake with him.

"Oh no, Nate!" she gasped desperately when she resurfaced, her big blue eyes wide with terror as she realized the familiar cold metal was no longer pressing against her neck. "Oh no, no, no, my locket!"

"Your what?" he questioned, confused.

"My necklace!" Tess cried. "It slipped off! Oh please help me find it!"

"Tess, it'll be ok," he said soothingly seeing that she was close to tears. "Come on, it couldn't have gone far." Then he dived underwater to see if he could see it. The soft silver moonlight filtering through the water was just bright enough to illuminate a golden, heart-shaped locket a few feet away. He grabbed it quickly before it could sink any farther and kicked his way to the surface again.

"Tess, it's ok, I have it," he said, and she practically slumped in relief. She smiled at him gratefully and hugged him.

"Thank you," she whispered weakly into his ear.

"No problem," he replied. "But what's so important about this locket anyway? I mean, it doesn't look very fancy or expensive..."

"Well if you must know, this was a gift from the best friend I've ever had," she said, rolling her eyes at her own sentiment.

"Oh, that's sweet," Nate said genuinely, and then started opening the locket.

"No!" Tess shouted harshly, surprising Nate. "Um... I-I mean, you... you can't look..."

"Why not?" he teased before fully opening it. Tess lunged at him and yanked the locket away from his grasp, but not before he managed to see the picture inside. He looked over at Tess and saw her blush involuntarily.

"Caitlyn?" he asked. Tess nodded.

"You guys looked like you were really close," he stated.

"We _were_," Tess said shortly, informing him that she didn't want to talk about it. Nate shrugged and, trying to get past the uncomfortable moment, splashed her.

"Oh my goodness, you did not do that," she spluttered, looking at him in shock as water dripped from her face and hair.

"And what if I did?" he smirked in amusement, raising his eyebrows.

"Oh I know you didn't," Tess sneered, "because if you did, then I would have to do this." Then she placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed down. Nate's eyes widened in surprise before his head submerged beneath the water. Once he resurfaced, he began splashing even more water at Tess, causing her to release the first genuine laugh she had in a long, long time. It echoed across the camp along with Nate's own giggles and shouts as they continued playing with each other, not caring what anyone else would have thought of them if they would have been able to see them.

* * *

"That was the most fun I've had since... well... ever," Tess grinned after she and Nate had pulled themselves back onto the dock.

"Yeah, it was really great swallowing a bunch of dirty lake water and getting soaking wet," Nate responded with an eye-roll.

"You are such a party-pooper," Tess pouted. "You're never any fun."

"You might want to take that back," Nate said playfully, before pushing Tess over so that she was lying down on her back.

"What are you _doing_?" Tess screeched, although she was secretly enjoying anticipating what Nate was going to do next.

"This." Nate then began tickling Tess furiously around her stomach, while Tess shrieked with laughter.

"No Nate- please- stop- stop it!" Tess gasped between spouts of laughter while squirming beneath his iron-grip. "Please- I'm sorry- I- I take it back!"

"Yeah right," he smiled evilly, still tickling her. "I'm not stopping until you say 'Nate Black is the most fun, awesome, cool person I have ever met and I am so lucky to know him'."

"What?!" Tess shrieked, still giggling. "You're- c-crazy!"

"What was that?" Nate teased, while tickling her even harder. Tess screamed and finally admitted defeat.

"F-fine. Nate B-black is the m-most- most f-fun, awesome, c-cool person I-I have ever met and I-I am s-so lucky to k-k-know him."

"That's much better," Nate smirked, and squeezed her ribs one last time before letting her go. Tess yelped and glared at him.

"T-that wasn't n-necessary y-y-you k-know," Tess stammered, still trying to catch her breath. She was suddenly freezing from the chilling wind blowing through her water-soaked clothes.

"You're shivering," Nate stated with concern, and wrapped his arms around her. Tess curled up in his embrace and suddenly noticed the sky was tinted pink.

"Oh no," she muttered, inching away from him. "It's almost dawn. I need to get at least _some _rest before the last day of camp." Nate nodded and abruptly stood up, pulling Tess with him. She was startled as dizziness overtook her and the dock began to swim before her eyes.

"Are you ok?" Nate asked worriedly as she began to sway.

"I'm perfectly fine," Tess managed, shaking her head to try to clear it. However, she only succeeded in intensifying her splitting headache. "Oh my God..."

Those were Tess's last words before collapsing on the dock, dead.

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**Author's Note: OMG I am totally kidding!! Sorry, I've just seen other people do it, so I wanted to see if it had an effect on anybody. No, she didn't die, but she did collapse. But she's just unconscious so don't worry... for now... (Insert evil laugh here). Personally I didn't think chapter was good at all, but please review it anyway! Good reviews, bad reviews, I don't care, but if it's a bad review, please tell me what's wrong with my story so I can fix it later :)!**


	7. Weakness

**Author's Note: Well, the story is almost done, I think, maybe one or two more chapters left sniff... I'm not very proud of this chapter either, but it's your opinions that count!**

**Disclaimer: Do I really need to go over that I don't own anything every single time I post a new chapter?!**

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"Tess!" Nate yelled as he rushed to her side. He was relieved to find out that she was breathing, but she was out cold and twitching slightly. Nate sighed and with a grunt, scooped her into his arms and carried her across camp to her cabin. He quietly deposited her onto her bed, and despite his worry, he smiled at her peaceful form.

"Night Tess," he whispered. Kneeling down, he gently kissed her cheek before exiting the cabin.

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"Nate!" Jason exclaimed as Nate walked into the mess hall for breakfast. "Where were you last night?"

"I was just... um... with someone... somewhere," he responded vaguely. He avoided eye contact with everybody, but when he looked at Caitlyn and saw a smirk, he knew she had pieced together what had happened. He grinned in relief though when Caitlyn winked at him inconspicuously and returned to her breakfast, signaling that she wouldn't expose him in front of everyone.

"Who were you with?" Mitchie asked curiously. Nate looked down to the ground helplessly while trying to think of a reasonable answer. How could he tell everyone he had just had the time of his life with somebody they hated? Luckily, he was spared a more thorough interrogation when someone cut in.

"Am I interrupting?" Tess asked as she unsteadily joined their small group. She still felt quite dizzy, sick, and a little nauseous from last night, probably from not eating dinner and also bingeing the small amount of food she had for lunch. Or her weakness might have resulted from the blood she had lost from cutting herself so viciously. Or it could have been her lack of sleep last night. Or a combination of all three. The others looked at her suspiciously. Caitlyn had informed them of Tess yelling at her and Nate last night after they had spied on her and when they saved her from drowning. Her lack of gratitude at their help had stirred up their dislike for her all over again, and they weren't exactly comfortable talking to her.

"Um, you kind of are," Shane replied coldly. Tess sighed at his unforgiving response.

"Uh ok then, sorry about that," Tess murmured, tears blurring her vision. She should have known that the warm friendship (and possibly love?) Nate had had shown her last night had been too good to last, and she mentally beat herself up for believing that it could. She had just innocently come to inquire about what had happened after she had blacked out on the dock, but apparently her very presence disgusted them. "I guess I'll just wait for a better time then..." Nate stared regretfully at her as she turned to leave, but she didn't make it very far.

"Tess!" he yelled as she sank to the floor, drawing the attention of everyone in the mess hall. She was on her hands and knees breathing heavily, the room spinning before her and her head pounding while she fought the extreme urge to vomit.

"What a drama queen..."

"She just has to have all eyes on her..."

"She can't handle it when she's not the center of attention..."

"How overdramatic can she get?"

"Is this supposed to get sympathy from us?"

"She's probably trying to make us pity her after how she messed up at Final Jam..."

"What a bitch..."

Ignoring the disdained whispers coming from everybody, Nate sat next to Tess and tried to figure out what had happened.

"Tess, are you ok?" he asked quietly, disregarding that now the whispers involved him too.

"I feel like I'm going to die," she whispered frantically, her breathing becoming even more labored.

"Don't worry ok Tess?" he said, trying to calm her down. "You'll be ok, just hold on." Lifting her up, he ran past the gossiping campers, deeply resentful of them for thinking that this was just a show Tess was putting on.

"Just a little bit longer, just hold on ok?" Nate soothed, dashing into the camp clinic. He set her down gingerly onto an empty cot in the clinic, but she immediately crawled off of it and to a wastebasket, expelling what little contents she had in her stomach.

"Oh my God, Tess..." Nate gasped after she threw up. The door suddenly squeaked open, and Caitlyn entered, dragging along Shane who had only agreed to coming with her to yell at Nate.

"Nate, why did you pick her up and run out with her?" Shane snapped. "You know that she was just trying to get attention, right? But you have to be nice and try to help her, and now there're tons of rumors floating around saying that you like that bitch!"

"Don't say that about her!" Nate shouted furiously, and Shane and Caitlyn jumped.

"Nate, it's ok, they have every right to believe that..." Tess said weakly, her voice ending with a slight whimper. Shane and Caitlyn turned to look at her and their eyes widened when they noticed the filthy trash can beside her and her sickly expression.

"Oh God, Tess, are you ok?" Caitlyn asked.

"Why would you care?" Tess responded, not really in a mean way, but more of a "why would you actually care about _me_"?

"Tess seriously, what happened?" Shane inquired with sincere concern dripping out of his voice.

"I don't know... I guess I might have caught the flu or something..."

"Tess!" Nate snapped, startling her. "That's complete garbage right there and you know it! This is all from you wasting and inflicting harm upon yourself by-"

"Nate!" Tess snapped back, glaring at him in a way that said the things she had shared with him last night were private.

"Tess, I honestly don't care if you don't want anyone else to know, you're hurting yourself!" Nate yelled at her. "Shane, Caitlyn, we've got to get her some food or something. She's been throwing up everything she eats for who knows how long, and she's been cutting herself, and she probably got sick from getting all wet from the lake last night..."

"You've been doing _what_?" Shane asked in part disbelief and part repulsion. Tess stared down at the floor shamefully, making it obvious that all of Nate's words were true. Shane yanked up Tess's shirt sleeve and he and Caitlyn gasped at the fresh cuts and dried blood everywhere, each one a symbol of the emotional and physical pain she had been suffering for so long.

"Nate, where's the nurse?" Caitlyn asked anxiously, studying Tess's feeble body.

"She's gone, remember, it's the last day of camp and nobody expected that there would be an emergency on the _last _day of camp," Nate muttered. "We'll just have to take care of this ourselves."

"I don't need to be taken care of," Tess argued. "I'm fine."

"Oh yeah, then why don't you stand up and walk back down to the mess hall with us?" Shane challenged. Tess glared at him and attempted to stand up, only to have her legs wobble beneath her and her head scream out in pain. She grimaced and tried to walk, but collapsed after only a few steps.

"Tess, you have something seriously wrong with you, just let us help you," Caitlyn reasoned with her, trying to save her former best friend from doing more harm to herself. Sure, they had grown apart, but Caitlyn still cared about her, no matter how much she tried to deny it.

"No, I can take care of myself..." she grumbled, still hesitant towards accepting. After all, how long would it be after she broke down in front of them until the whole camp knew that she was weak? She didn't build the wall that separated her from the rest of the world only to have it shattered in a single moment of vulnerability!

"TESS! Stop being so stubborn, you don't have to be strong all the time you know, it's going to end up killing you soon!" Nate screamed angrily at her. "Do you want to die just because you're too defiant to let anyone help you out?"

"No..." she whimpered, scared at Nate's fury-filled words and his livid face.

"Then please, just accept the fact that we care about you," Caitlyn said, much more gently than Nate. The room was completely silent as they waited for Tess's response. Finally, she nodded.

"I'll go get some food and stuff from the kitchen," Shane said, heading out the door. "I'm sure Mitchie and Jason will help me after I explain everything." Tess was too weary to argue with him.

"And I'll go get a blanket or something," Caitlyn offered, leaving as well, "since you're shaking and all." Tess hadn't even noticed she was shivering until right then.

"Well, I guess I should clean out these cuts for you," Nate said, fishing out a first-aid kit from a cabinet once they both had disappeared. "Don't worry, you'll be ok Tess."

Tess just nodded again and lay down onto the cot. Waves of exhaustion washed over her and she gladly succumbed to them and fell asleep. But this sleep was very different from any she had had in the past few years in her life. This time, she was able to sleep peacefully, contentedly, knowing that some people finally cared.

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Author's Note: Sooooo how did you like it? Review please, it makes me happy!


	8. Goodbyes

**Author's Note: Well here it is, the last chapter of my story :( I had fun writing it, and all you guys who reviewed/ read it are awesome and thank you soooooo much. Well, go on now, read it!**

**Disclaimer: HA THIS IS THE LAST TIME I HAVE TO SAY THAT I DON'T OWN ANYTHING!! TAKE THAT DISNEY!! That is until I decide to write another fanfic :P**

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"Tess!" Tess swiveled her head to see Mitchie and Caitlyn running over to her.

"We have to go now, and we wanted to say goodbye," Mitchie said breathlessly.

"Oh..." Tess smiled sadly, reluctant towards leaving her new friends. "Well, goodbye... and guys, I really am sorry for ruining your summer."

"Ruining?" Mitchie grinned brightly. "This was the best summer of my life!"

"Glad to hear it," Tess smirked. "And you've really been nice for helping me after I was a jerk and stuff..."

"You were never a jerk... just... misunderstood," Mitchie assured her forgivingly, and they hugged each other tightly.

"Thanks Mitchie. See you next summer?"

"You bet!"

"Hey Mitchie!" A new voice cut into their love fest. Mitchie, Tess, and Caitlyn grinned at Shane, who was hopping up and down and waving his arms wildly to attract Mitchie's attention.

"Your boyfriend is waiting for you," Tess smiled, finally letting go of her. "Go get him." Mitchie rolled her eyes and hugged both girls one last time before dashing off to Shane, leaving Tess and Caitlyn alone.

"Caitlyn?"

"Yeah Tess?"

"I just wanted to let you know... you're a great friend. You've always been there for me, and I guess I didn't realize it until now. And I'm really sorry for ever pushing you away." A tear trickled down her face, and Caitlyn pulled her close.

"It's not your fault. I don't really know what happened... I guess we just grew apart..." And it was true. Too many hateful words had been carelessly tossed around, too many tears had fallen, too many fights had left them brokenhearted, until there came the day where they swore to never speak again. Caitlyn had walked out the door and walked out of Tess's life, and Tess had ripped off her locket and threw it into the trash. And then later that night, she had dug it out from among the garbage and cried over it at the same time Caitlyn was in room sobbing into her pillow, both mourning over the end of the best friendship they had ever had.

"But we're ok now, right Caity?" Tess asked hopefully. Caitlyn smiled at the use of her old nickname and nodded.

"Yeah, we're ok now."

"Friends again?"

"Forever." Tess's entire face lit up and she squeezed Caitlyn tighter.

"Tess..."

"Yeah?"

"I can't breathe..."

"Oh, sorry," Tess giggled, and released her.

"No, it's ok. It felt good." They both laughed and hugged again before a car horn started honking.

"That would be my mom," Caitlyn said, sighing sorrowfully and rolling her eyes. "Bye Tess..."

"Bye Caitlyn," Tess replied, her eyes welling up with tears. "I'll miss you."

"Oh Tess, don't cry," Caitlyn pleaded, giving her friend a sad smile, embracing her again and rubbing her back. The horn sounded again loudly, and Caitlyn pulled away. "See you next year." Tess nodded, and just like that, Caitlyn was gone.

* * *

He approached Tess quietly, smiling gently at her mussed blond hair blowing in the breeze, her red-rimmed eyes, her delicate, pink, tearstained cheeks, the slightly wistful look on her makeup-free face, and her arms wrapped around her knees that were pulled up to her chest. Her body was outlined faintly with the glow of the setting sun that was painting a warm collage of pinks, oranges, yellows, and reds across the sky as it steadily dropped downwards. He had never seen anything more beautiful.

"It's a nice place to think, huh Tess?" Tess whirled around and her entrancing eyes captured his. Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes lit up, almost unnoticeably, as they scanned his face, realizing who he was.

"I guess..." she replied lightly, turning to face the sunset again. He lowered himself down onto the dock and let his legs to swing next to hers above the water. He allowed himself to steal a glance at her again and was amazed at how bright and optimistic her face looked, which contrasted drastically with the haunted expression it held just hours earlier. It made her look even more dazzling than ever. If that was possible.

"What are you looking at?" Tess teased, her gaze not even shifting from the horizon and a playful smirk glimmering on her lips. He just smiled back and didn't respond, letting them sink into a calm silence.

"Nate?" she asked, finally turning to face him.

"Hmm?" Nate answered.

"I just wanted to say...um... thank you."

"For what?" Nate smirked.

"For... everything really." Her eyes trailed to the scars on her arms, but the pain she used to feel from them was replaced by resilience now. They were old scars, a part of the past. A past that she didn't care to revisit. And, thanks to her newfound friends, a past she was slowly healing from. She then allowed her gaze to briefly drop to Nate's lips, but it immediately shot back up again, her cheeks reddening.

And then suddenly their mouths had met in a warm, sweet kiss. Tess was grateful that she was sitting down, because her knees were going weak at the cinnamon flavor of his lips meeting the sweet vanilla taste of hers. She let herself melt into warm body, loving how it felt so safe. Nate wrapped his arms around her waist, inhaling the strawberry fragrance of her hair as his soft lips brushed affectionately against hers. There wasn't anything sexual about the kiss, and that was fine by both of them. Because it was still deep, still passionate, still loving, still magical, still incredible, no matter how innocent it was. And they loved how _real_ it felt.

Then their lips parted, and much too soon for both of them, as they snapped out of their fantasies for some greatly needed air. Tess enveloped him in a close embrace, full of love, trust, and silent thanks for the indescribably perfect moment she had just experienced with him.

"Nate!" Nate and Tess pulled away from each other at the sound of Jason's nearby voice.

"What Jason?" Nate asked, his voice laced with annoyance to Tess's amusement.

"Couldn't you have waited until they were finished?" they heard Shane snap. "Oh, well since you guys have already been interrupted by SOMEBODY, you should probably know that we have to go Nate. Our tour awaits. And our fans aren't going to be happy to know it's been canceled again because you're too caught up in your love life to perform."

"I guess I should go," Nate whispered regretfully to Tess, his eyes shining with unshed tears and reflecting millions of emotions so quickly that Tess couldn't figure them out.

"Yeah, I guess you should," Tess responded softly, a single tear sliding down her face. Nate smiled and wiped it off gently, giving her hand a gentle squeeze before getting up.

"Bye Tess." Tears were now carving rivers down his face as well. Why did saying goodbye have to be so heartbreakingly hard?

"Bye Nate, I'll miss you." Nate locked her into a tight hug, wishing he would never let go, but knowing that he had to. And with one last nod and a weak smile from Tess, he was maneuvering his way through the trees with his band mates towards their limo. But as he walked away, he could have sworn he heard her say one last thing to him. And no matter if it was simply a wishful hallucination or not, he just had to respond.

"I love you too Tess."

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Author's Note: So this was supposed to be a Tess/ Caitlyn friendship story as you can see by the first chapter, but then reviewers wanted me to make it into a lovey dovey sort of thing, so I changed it to Ness. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading it, and remember to review!!


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